Daily Happenings

An Explination

2012-01-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

I suppose I owe you, my oh, so loyal readers. An explanation on my 3 month absence. Not really just a 3 month absence, but an absence pretty much the majority of 2011. I can sum it up for you pretty easily...

2011 sucked for us.

I mean bad. Sure, the first few months went by and everything was fine, but by the time April arrived, it all went downhill.

Coincidentally, April was when I stopped blogging. I tried to rally in July, but at that point, I had a bad case of the attitudes and no one wants to read a bad attitude.

When October rolled around, I was in such a funk, I quit. Literally quit. I quit blogging. I quit doing things. I quit talking to people. I just quit.

And here's the reason...

On May 28, 2011, we lost my Mother-in-law to ovarian cancer.

She was a kind, brave, incredibly strong woman that fought this awful disease for 13 years.

13 YEARS!!

Losing someone is never easy. Receiving a phone call, telling you that a loved one has passed away is painful.

Watching someone you love wither away, in front of your eyes is excruciating.

For several weeks the family sat by her side, spending every waking moment, taking in the fabulous person that she was, knowing that she didn't have much more time.

At night, we would go home, never really getting any rest, always waiting for that phone call.

My job was to make everyone comfortable. I cleaned, cooked and tried to do the daily monotonous duties that shouldn't bother a family during such a time. I kept my kids on a schedule, while still spending as much time with their Grammy as they could, so they could hold on to happy memories.

When it was evident that she was slipping away, my boys were able to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her goodbye. That was her last conscious day.

Some people have said watching someone die is a beautiful experience.

It's not.

It's awful.

It's painful.

It's disturbing.

It's a life changing experience.

This is how I feel. My husband and his siblings might have a different experience. All I know is how it changed me.

After getting through an obviously difficult May and June, we were rocked by the news that my mother then had to start chemotherapy.

Needless to say, things were not going well around the Cates' house.

Then I realized something that shocked me.

During this entire, tumultuous time in our lives, I didn't hear from my friends. Or those I thought were my good friends.

I heard from a couple, but when they found out about our devastating news, they didn't know how to respond or what to do. At least, that's what I think happened. Why else would people not call? Why would they not be concerned? Why would they not offer help?

Not that I wanted anything from anyone, but knowing that someone is there for you, in your time of need, is comfort enough.

The year was getting worse. I felt like I was drowning and couldn't get my head above water.

You'll be glad to know that my addiction to Pinterest is still in full effect. Over the past nine months, I've pinned many "Words to Live By", which was like therapy for me.

Here are just a few...

With all of that being said, I've really tried to look within this past year. I've tried to figure out a lot of different things about myself. One thing I know for sure (nothing new) is that I am a private person, not willing (able) to share my feelings. I'm trying to get past that. By posting this, I'm revealing a lot about what I've been through and what I'm feeling, which is a BIG step for me.

I wanted you to know why I've been gone, why I haven't blogged. Again, it has been a tough year for us. 2012 was the start of a New Year and for me, a new attitude. I need to get back to my positive, happy self and surround myself with people and things that I love. I'm hoping to get back into full blogging mode as well because that is something I both love and enjoy.

Oscar Nominations

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been exactly 3 months since I've last blogged. More on the reason for that later. I thought Oscar nominations would be the PERFECT reason to start blogging again!! I love movies. I love the Oscars. So this is a win-win. Here are the 2011 Oscar nominations for Best Picture...

The Artist~ Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

Set in the 20's? Black and white? I think this is going to be good. If for nothing else, go see it just for the costumes and cinematography.

The Descendants~ A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.

This movie does not excite me. I am not a Clooney fan and it sounds boring, but of course, I'll probably see it.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close~ A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

This movie makes me nervous. I don't like anything dealing with 9-11. Too painful. However, it seems like 9-11 is just the reason the boys father is gone. Skeptical, but intrigued.

The Help~ An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

Read it. Seen it. Loved it. It's truly a must see.

Hugo~ Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

Umm, hello? Paris? 1930's? Does this movie SCREAM me or what?! The fact that the boy lives in a train station is making me HAVE to take the kids to see this, which I'm not very excited about because it's in 3D = a million dollars

Midnight in Paris~ A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.

It's a Woody Allen picture. That could go either way. I hope I can rent it.

Moneyball~ The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

Just watched this movie. Loved it. Not gripping. Not a lot of action, but oh so good. The fact that Robin Wright-Penn gets to go to the Oscars for her roll in this movie pisses me off. She was in it for two seconds. End rant.

The Tree of Life~ The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence.

The what? Isn't this a Disney song or something? I'm not feeling like this is a happy movie. I'll be lucky to find this in the theaters here.

War Horse~Young Albert enlists to service in WWI after his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on.

I have no desire to see this because I know it's not going to end well. Riley read the book and wants to see it. Thankfully his Grandfather wants to see it too. Maybe they can go together and I'll just tell myself the horse doesn't die in the end.

SO looking forward to seeing (most of) these movies!! Just researched, Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life are available at Redbox!! I'll be checking those movies out today!! Have you seen any of these movies? What are your predictions for the Oscars?

Fun With Our Phones Monday

2011-10-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Another Monday morning (Ugh! Needed one more day of weekend!) and I'm joining in on Fun With Our Phones Monday, hosted by Savannah Smiles! We had a fun weekend, not too much planned, but still a good weekend! Here's some of the things we did...
I met up with my women's group. Yep. They're a bunch of witches.

Coop had his last football game. Bittersweet really. He had a great time, we loved watching him play, we met some great new people, but the weather was starting to turn it was getting REALLY REALLY wet and cold!!
Looking forward to next year when he moved up to Mighty Mites!!

There was a bobo killing.
I guess football season is officially over, considering she tore apart her football.

Helped with Ry's robotics league. It's an international program, created by the genius minds at Lego, call First Lego League. Pretty amazing watching a bunch of 6th graders build and program robots. This years theme is food safety. Their goal is for teams to build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT to solve a set of food safety missions as well as research, develop, and share their innovative food safety solutions.

This is the robot that Ry's team has built. They have a competition the first weekend of December, where their robot has to complete certain tasks in a robotic obstacle course. Ry's team chose milk as their topic. They have to demonstrate how to get milk from farm to table, while preventing contamination. I'm sure I'll be blogging about this more!!

Our temperatures have dropped, so the winter sweater was brought out, much to Chloe's chagrin!!

The "C" Word

2011-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Today is all about things people say that drive me crazy. I'm hearing a lot of it lately and it's bugging me. So guess what?! I'm blogging about it so YOU can be aware if you're saying these things and you can immediately stop. Here we go...

People that say striped. And not striped like it's supposed to be said. Striped pronounced,

STRY-PED

Yes, there are people that actually pronounce the "PED" at the end. This bugs me to no end. If you do it (and there is someone I'm related to that does this ALL the time!) please stop.

Women calling other women "dolls". Unless you're a part of the Gambino crime family, you should NEVER refer to another woman as a doll. This goes for men too.

While you're telling a story, you constantly add in "You know what I mean?" fifty million times. You MUST think I'm a complete and total idiot, that can't follow your VERY complicated story, if you repeatedly ask, "You know what I mean?" throughout the conversation. Knock. It. Off.

And the BIG one. The worst thing to be said. Yes, I'm going to say it, The "C" Word.

CLASSY

This word should NEVER, I repeat, NEVER be used!!

This is the C word that needs to be stricken from the English language.

It is nails on a chalkboard to me.

It will literally make the hair on the back of my neck stand upright.

I hate it.

When I Googled "Images for classy", this is one of the first images that popped up...

Not kidding. Please stop using the "C" word. It's just plain tacky.
OK. Rant over.

What I Want Wednesday

2011-10-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I told you I got myself a job at the Pier 1. So far, I'm loving it! I work 1, 2 or 3 days a week, typically from 9:15 til 2:00. Perfect schedule for when the boys are in school. While I'm at the Pier 1 (I tend to put "the" in front of every store I go to, The Target, The Wal-Mart, The Kohls. I have no idea why, I just do, so deal) I visually shop like I have a serious addiction. Well, I DO have a serious addiction to the Pier 1. Who doesn't? It's fabulous. Anyhoo, thankfully I don't actually PURCHASE what I visually shop for or I would be on Hoarders fo sho. I'm keeping my actual purchasing to a minumum (so far).

Since I showed you last week, the things that caught my eye at the Pier 1, I thought I would continue. Then I REALLY got to thinking (careful), maybe I should do a meme/link-up of

What I Want Wednesday.

I'm thinking anyone can join in (if you don't have a blog, just leave me some good ol' fashioned comments!!) and list the things that you want this Wednesday. It doesn't have to be stuff from the Pier 1, it can be ANYTHING from ANYWHERE you're wanting at the moment. With the holidays coming up, it may give some of your readers (ie: family, husband, boyfriends, girlfriends, neighbors, basically anyone that reads your blog!) gift ideas!! Pretty smart huh?!

So who's in?

If I whip up a cute little button, to add to your post, and put a fancy pants linky,

would you join in the fun?

Let's see how many of you are interested and we'll see where this goes!

Until then, this is WHAT I WANT this WEDNESDAY!!

Yep!

Berry Wreath

Honey Cider Bird Filled Candles

(only $6 & $8)

Hanging Pumpkin Tea Light Holders
(only $6.95! A great hostess gift!!)

Pomaegranate Centerpiece

Metallic Pumpkins
(SO much cuter in person!!)

Those are just a few things at the Pier 1 that are catching my eye right now. Wanted to let you know about the Daily Dealio too! Have you heard about this? "Like" Pier 1 on Facebook and everyday they will tell you about the Daily Dealio! All you have to do is go to the link and print the coupon. Today's Daily Dealio was $10 a $50 or more purchase! Not bad!! Go over and "Like" Pier 1 on Facebook to get the deals!

Remember, I want to know if you're interested in a What I Want Wednesday link-up party!!

Flat Apple Pie

2011-10-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

I had a bunch of apples that I wanted to use up and wanted to try something new. I wanted something easy, quick and that I had all the ingredients for. I perused through some of my cookbooks and finally decided on...

The Pioneer Womans Flat Apple Pie

5 peeled and sliced granny smith apples

2 Tablespoons flour

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Stir all of these ingredients together, until well coated.

Roll out two pie crusts (I used the PW perfect pie crust recipe)

Pour half of the apple mixture on one crust

Fold over edges

Top the pie with several Tablespoons of butter

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden and bubbly (cover edges with foil if they brown too quickly)

This recipe makes TWO flat pies.

I didn't get a picture of the finished product because we scarfed it down too quickly!! This is a SUPER DUPER good recipe!! Not too sweet, rustic, different. Try it out today!!

Fun with our Phones Monday

2011-10-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Joining in again with Fun with our Phones Monday, hosted by Savannah Smiles. Here's a little recap of our weekend...
Made some pumpkin bars. I was going to post the recipe on Friday, but never got around to it. And after thinking about it, I thought I had already shared the BEST pumpkin bar recipe EV-AH, and I did! If you want the recipe go HERE

Got my nails did. I love all the fall colors, but have always been afraid to try them. I jumped in and went steel grey!! Not quite sure how I feel about them, a little Goth-y for my taste, but I can always say they're for Halloween!!

Made sugar cookies. Decided to do fall leaves, but after baking them, I realized they look more like cannabis (ie: pot leaves). I decided to go with it and frosted them green. OH YES I DID!

We went on a MAJOR shop this weekend. Ry is getting ready to go on his 6th grade camping retreat (more about that at a later date) and we had to get some supplies. Four MILLION dollars later, I think we're set.

It was a beautiful fall weekend, here in the Pacific Northwest. We spent a lot of time outdoors, cleaning cars, winterizing the yard and playing ball. Someone got a little tuckered!

What fun things did you do this weekend?

Pickled Beets

2011-10-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

My sister hit the mother lode this year with the beet harvest. Now I know, not a lot of people like beets. Those people are fools in my book, but to each his own. However, THIS recipe will make you a fan of beets. Well, wait. If you don't like vinegar (like a certain someone in my house whom I'm married to, weirdo), then you won't like this recipe. But if you're a clear headed, SANE person, you will like this recipe. My Mom makes these pickled beets all the time and I eat them as fast as she can make them.

Anyhoo, now what you do is take the big, ugly, root veggie, put them into a pot filled with water and boil them. That's right. No pealing, no scraping, no cleaning. Skins and all, right into the pot. Bring it to a boil and cook them until a knife easily glides through (like you would a potato) Take the pot off of the heat and let them cool.
Once cooled a bit, I like to don my rubber gloves (I know, I'm fancy like that!), lay down a paper towel or two (as not to stain EVERYTHING) and get to work. The beauty of beets? Once you've boiled them, the skins, roots, dirt, everything just wipes off!! SUPER easy!

And the beauty of the rubber gloves? No stains left on your fingers and the beat juice washes right off!! GENIUS!

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

cloves

I slice the beets up (still on a paper towel for no stains)

Pour water, vinegar, sugar, clove mixture over the beets, cover and refrigerate.

That's it!! Let them sit for a few hours (or a day or two to really soak up the pickling juice) and enjoy!! This is an easy, yummy way to get lots of vitamins A & C!!

Simple Sandwich

2011-10-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite thing, the simple sandwich. Lately, I have been driving by the Taco Bell and forgoing my Crunchwrap Supreme, to come home to this. And for me to give up a Crunchwrap Supreme, you KNOW it has to be good!

Everything bagel from Costco

Cream cheese (but I prefer pesto)

Lunch meat (here, I'm using the leftover turkey breast we had for dinner the night before)

Homegrown tomatoes (soon to be a thing of the past : (

Sprouts (because they're fun!)

Cheddar cheese

I find the key is to toast the bagel first. I like that extra crunch (hence the obsession of the Crunchwrap supreme!) Layer it all on, then pop it under the broiler for a few seconds, enough for the cheese to melt.
So incredibly fresh, so incredibly delicious, so incredibly easy! Throw whatever you would like on there and make one for yourself!!

Bringin Home the Bacon

2011-10-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Anything with bacon in it has to be good, right? Well... BIG changes happenin' round these parts!! Two weeks ago Friday, I woke up and decided that I needed a job. I thought, good time to look for a job, with the holiday season coming up. Thankfully I don't NEED a job, but I thought it would be fun to have something to do a few days a week.

Criteria:

Fun

Close to my house

Flexible hours

Easy

That's about all I was looking for. So, I got myself dressed and headed down the hill in search of a job. Now, to be honest with you, I set out to apply at Bath and Body Works. It fit all my criteria and I love all their stuff! Win, win!! However, on my way to B&B, I passed by another place I thought would be ever BETTER!

I walked into the shop, asked for an application, filled it out on the spot and headed home. That's it. That's all it took for me to be satisfied in my job search. Not even twenty four hours later, I received a call from the manager, asking me to come on Monday for an interview. So, on Monday, I headed back down the hill for my interview. I wasn't really nervous, but a tad anxious, considering this was my first interview in 12 years! I left the interview, feeling pretty good, but again, no stress because if I didn't get the job, no big deal. Twenty four hours later, I received a call, asking me if I would like a position. I got the job!!

Wanna know where I'm working? Ready?

YES! Pier 1!!! I know, totally dangerous!! However, I've worked there for two weeks and haven't purchased anything...yet. Let me tell you, I have spent about five grand in my mind, every day that I'm there, but no cash has changed hands...yet.

I've decided that I would share some fun things that I see when I'm at work, things I covet. Maybe you'll like them too and come in and buy them!! Here are just a few of the fall decorations that I'm loving right now!!

Halloween wooden photo holder ~ $10 (much cuter in person)

Caged pumpkin with ornaments ~ $79
and to go with the pumpkin...

Metal pumpkin stand ~ $19.95

Halloween table leg covers ~ $9.95 each

Spooky pillow ~ $19.95

I'm working two to three days a week, typically 9 ~ 2. A perfect schedule while the kids are in school. If you're up on the Northside, come in and see me! I'll try to help you (still learning!!)

Fun with Our Phones Monday!

2011-10-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm joining in on Fun with Our Phones Monday, hosted by Savannah Smiles. I've been absent for a couple of weeks. I'll explain later, but here are a few things that we've been up to...
Lunch with the ladies. Yes that is a sweet pepper, goat cheese, pine nut pizza. And YES it was delicious!!

Frantically reading in preparation for my book club meeting. Still on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Yes, it's crazy.
This is what I get when I read. Someone staring at me.

I've been doing a lot of baking.

Yes, I'll share what I've been whipping up. You've been warned.

Made it to the pumpkin patch.

My niece came to Coop's football practice one night. No, that's not my niece. That's her dog.

Speaking of football, there has been a lot of it.

It has been super fun, met some great people and the Coop loves it.

And on some evenings, we get treated to views like this. It would be much more impressive if the light pole wasn't in the photo, but use your imagination.

Fun with our Phones Monday

2011-09-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Linking up with Savanah Smiles for Fun with our Phones Monday! We had a super fun weekend full of family, friends and football!! Here's a little glimpse of what happened... The Pack took on the Wildcats. We blew it up!!

Friends came to join in on the cheering!!
We're heading towards an undefeated season!!
We wrapped up our evening like this. A perfect night, good food, great wine and fabulous friends!
Oh my. Be still my heart.

Summer Reading

2011-09-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've never been a HUGE reader. When I was younger, it was a chore, something I had to do for school. I never read for pleasure. When I started flying (WAY back in the dark ages when there was still smoking on planes, there were no cell phones or electronic games and security was lax), I started reading. Mainly, I started reading to pass the time while I commuted. I used to commute from New York to San Francisco, so I had A LOT of time to read. When I stopped my glamorous career as a flight attendant to become a uber fabulous mom, I stopped reading. Mostly because flipping through a magazine was easier. When you get interrupted every five seconds, it's a lot easier to put down a People magazine because you know it doesn't matter.

I want to be a reader. I want to get lost in books. I want to read the classics. I want my boys to see me reading so that they too will WANT to read. So when I was asked if I would like to join a book club, I immediately said YES! I figure if I was a part of a book club, it would...

1. Force me to read more

2. Make me read books I typically wouldn't

3. Be able to discuss and critique books

Here are a few of the titles I've read this summer...

Cutting for Stone ~ This is a story of twin brothers, born from a secret union, coming of age in prerevolution Ethiopia. There is lots of cultural history, facts and information in this book, which makes it very interesting. However, this is quite an expansive novel, close to 700 pages, so it took me quite awhile to finish. I thought it was a good story, but did I love it? No.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan ~ This is a story set in nineteenth century China, when wives and daughters were subjected to foot binding and lived in almost complete seclusion. I was not very excited about this book choice because I've never been a fan of Asian culture. However, the story grabbed me right away and I enjoyed it very much. A movie has since come out and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

The White Darkness ~ A young adult novel that follows a teenage girl, her eccentric Uncle and her imaginary friend in an expedition to Antarctica. When I found out that we were going to read a young adult book, I didn't know what to think. But, I figured, I had read all the Harry Potter books and the Twilight series, so who was I to judge. Super easy read, full of beautiful imagery, but not something I would recommend.

And this leads me to our next book...
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ~ A parody novel combining Jane Austens classic novel, with elements of modern zombie fiction. I've never read the original Pride and Prejudice. I've seen every movie made, but never read the classic tale. I've heard the language is tough to get through, understandable considering the book was written in 1813. This book is much of the same, but the element of zombies attacking an 18th century England is cray-zee!! It has been silly, but super fun to read. Perfect for Halloween, the reason it was chosen!! I'll keep you posted on my final thoughts!
What are you reading right now? What books can you suggest that I can offer up to my new book clubbers?

Stuffed Flank Steak

2011-09-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Sticking to my weekly schedule, I'm posting another "recipe" on this Wednesday. I'm using the word recipe lightly because this is just something I threw together, last minute. Since football, we do A LOT of easy, throw together meals. I buy flank steaks a lot because they're cheap and easy (keep the jokes to yourself). A two steak pack at Costco will run you about $20. I marinate one in a Ziplock bag and throw it into the freezer for later use. I wanted to something different, so I pulled a Sandra Lee. I prepared some Stove Top stuffing (oh yes I did!). Easy peasy, done in just a few minutes and lots of flavor. I bought chicken flavor, but I'm sure anything would work. While the stuffing was steaming, I cooked up some sage flavored, Jimmy Dean sausage. Have you tried this? It's so super, duper yummy!
Once the sausage was all cooked up and the stuffing was nice and fluffy, I mixed the two together. I then flattened the steak on the counter, laid some slices of provolone cheese on it and then mounded the sausage/stuffing mixture on the top. I then (and here is when it gets SUPER technical, so pay attention!) smushed down the stuffing mixture so it was flat and easy to roll.

I rolled the whole thing up, stuck in a couple of squewers and plopped it onto a cookie sheet (lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray). I put it into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Now prepare yourself. Are you sitting down?

Not pretty. HOWEVER, it was AWESOME! The stuffing got a little crispy on the ends, the cheese melted marvelously and the steak was done to perfection!

Jack said it needed more cheese. So next time I will put on double the cheese (I used 3-4 slices), but this was wonderful! Easy to make, quick to cook and had awesome flavors! I will definitely be doing this meal again!!

Target Tuesday

2011-09-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

I have FINALLY figured out how to take images from Target, so I'm once again joining in on Target Tuesday, hosted by the lovely Tara at fabulous but evil. Here's what it's all about...Missoni. Missoni, Missoni, Missoni. That's all I've been hearing about! If you don't know about Missoni, it's a frah frah, Italian fashion house that decided to lower themselves enough to design a line for the little people that shop at Target, ie: ME. Now, you know me, I LUUUUUVV me some Target. So, I would have eventually (OK, I admit it, I go to Target ~~a couple of times~~ once a week) made it into Target and I ~~definitely~~ might have perused the shelves of the Missoni, to see what a fancy Italian designer was all about. However, that is never to happen. Once the Target opened their doors last Tuesday, everything was snatched up! I kept up a little with all the chaos via the Twitter. Things went so quickly, even the Target website crashed. Not. Kidding. Now, let me show you what some of the fuss is all about...
Passione Sweater Box

Rose Wine Baby Blanket

Zig Zag Beanie

Glass Serve Bowl

Magenta Stripped Rain Boots

Blue Multi Colored Zig Zag Hoodie

Now the thing that cracks me up, is that all these crazies RUSHED into the Target to snatch up some Missoni. Who wouldn't want a piece of something designed by a frah frah, famous designer? But guess what? When we see you walking around town, wearing these VERY obvious trademark fashions, we're pretty much 99.99% sure that you got them at the Target for $39.99. Madrona/Missoni, what's the difference? But, as we know, it has been WELL established on this blog, that I am in no way an expert in fashion.
Wear your Missoni with pride.

Fun with Our Phones Monday

2011-09-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

With this new blogging schedule that I'mTRYING to stick to (obviously I'm not doing a very good job), I'm joining in on Fun with Our Phones Monday, at Savannah Smiles! Since I typically don't blog on the weekends, I love doing this because it gives you a little synopsis of what we were up to! This past weekend, we had to make the long journey (about 8 hours) to the Oregon Coast. Surprisingly, I took very few photos. Thankfully, most were with my phone. Here's a looksie...

A gorgeous, fun day in Astoria

Had the best latte of my life (thus far), lavender vanilla, at the Astoria Bistro and Coffee House. If you're ever in Astoria, this is a MUST!
First visit to the beach for the girl! It was a little chilly (as per the usual), so she had to wear her coat! Brrrrrrrr!!

We had to have a couple of fires to keep warm!

We had to stop having fires because soon, A LOT of rain fell. I mean A LOT.
We made up for the dreary weather with A LOT of this. I mean A WHOLE LOT!
And this is what I had to look forward to when we got home. Mounds and MOUNDS of laundry. It was a long, exhausting trip. I'm glad we're home.

Fall TV

2011-09-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

It's September and you know what that means? Fall TV!! Can't wait to see all my returning shows! Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, The Middle, Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives and of course, Modern Family. With all the old shows, there are also lots of new shows I'm looking forward to, like 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Revenge and Once Upon a Time. But the show I'm REALLY looking forward to is...

For those of you that don't know, I lived the life of the glamorous flight attendant, so I can't wait to see what this show is all about!! I may pop a bit of the bubbly, munch on some peanuts and wear my old wings on premiere night!! I'm ready to escape in this show!! Which shows are you looking forward to this Fall?

Fun with our Phones Monday

2011-09-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Joining in on Fun with our Phones Monday over at Savannah Smiles! This is what I snapped this weekend...
One of our stations had an open house this weekend and put on some demonstrations.

BIG win for the Packers!!
SO excited one of my BFF's from high school has moved to my town!! How crazy is that?! (I grew up in California and now live in Washington State, so it's kind of a big deal) To celebrate, we met for lunch, because we can!

We MAY have had a couple of these, for toasting purposes only!

Went to a birthday party. First time the Coop has bowled. I can tell you that there will be more bowling in our future ~ he loved it!

We had a super fun weekend! Hope you did too!

Enough Said.

2011-09-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Memorable Quotes

2011-09-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

I've told you all about my love of Pinterest. I can't stop! I love it so much!! I love to sit an peruse through all the wonderful crafty things, places to go and yummy food! You should go over and check out my boards. They're pretty awesome, if I don't say so myself!! If you haven't joined Pinterest yet, let me know and I'll shoot you an invite. (I'll need your e-mail)

This has definitely been a strange summer for us and I've found that Pinterest is both relaxing and calming for me. I can escape in Pinterest. One of my favorite things to look for is memorable quotes. Here are some that have been particularly fitting to me lately...

This one is my favorite. I'm going to get it framed...

I'm linking up to Tidy Mom's I'm Lovin' It Friday!!

You Capture ~ Back to School

2011-09-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've already posted my back to school post HERE, but I had to join in on this weeks You Capture assignment. I ran out and snapped this one this morning as the kids were heading off to the bus...
Sigh. So cute.

Apples (if you haven't seen my Apple Cake recipe, go HERE!!)

Fresh Apple Cake

2011-09-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air and apple season is upon us! What better way to bring in the Fall than with this super easy and crazy delicious fresh apple cake!! I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it's a family favorite for sure!!
Chop up apples. I use whatever I have. This time, I mixed both Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples. I just vary the amount of sugar I use. If I use sweet apples (like Honey Crisps) I cut the sugar by a half of cup.

Blend all ingredients and pour into a 9 X 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. See! Super easy! Pop it into the oven for an hour or so, top it with some whip cream and YUM! You'll love this! I promise!!

Such a simple, festive recipe, I even whipped up some care bundles for the teachers!!

FRESH APPLE CAKE

4 cups diced apples (4-5 apples)

2 cups sugar (1 1/2 for sweet apples)

1/2 cup oil

1 cup nuts (I don't do nuts, so I omit these)

2 well beaten eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

Mix apples and sugar together thoroughly. In a separate bowl add oil through vanilla together and add to apples. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients and then add dry ingredients to wet. Add to the 9 X 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for approx 1 hour

Back to School

2011-09-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the day. We went back to school. Bittersweet really. Just when the weather really starts to heat up, we have to pack up, leave the lake and get back into a schedule. We don't get much of a summer around these parts, so we really enjoy our heat. However, there were days, there at the end, that my kids were driving me batty!

Here are some scenes from our morning...

Packed yummy lunches with love notes

Packaged up treats for the teachers!

The annual first day photo on the front step! Last time the boys will ever be in the same school together. Sads.Ran into some of our friends!

Thankfully, our new teacher came out to reassure all the ~~parents~~ kids that everything was going to be O.K!

Our VERY official 1st grade desk!! Ready to be in school ALL DAY like a big boy!

6th grade is going to be BIG for Ry!! Lots of changes, responsibilities and adventures ahead! One more peek on the Coop before I left. BIG changes for Mom too. This is the first time, in 11 1/2 years, that I will be by myself for the majority of the day. No lunches to fix. No afternoon movies to watch. Just me, to fend for myself. How did I spend a good portion of my day? Why with mimosas of course!!

Busy Day Chocolate Cake

2011-09-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

Went up to my parents house for the holiday weekend. As usual, my Mom was busy in the kitchen, trying new recipes. One of the recipes she tried was called "Busy Day Chocolate Cake" from Lucinda Scala Quinn, the "Mad Hungry" lady. My Mom wanted to try it because it's supposed to be super easy, everything is done in one pan. Of course, Coop had to help out!
Not kidding, everything goes into one dish.Helps when you use ingredients like this!

Stir in the wet with the dry and bake!

Best part.
It was a super easy cake. Coop pretty much did the entire thing. However, it does have a weird taste. My Mom and I think it's due to the vinegar in the recipe. It was good (and easy!) enough that I would probably make it again.

If you would like to try it out, you can find the recipe HERE.

Pencils

2011-09-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

Back to school conjures up bad thoughts for me...

Pencils. Don't get me wrong, I love pencils. I love to write a list with a brand new, super sharp pencil, having a never before used eraser, just ready for use. However, when you have two boys starting school and each has a supply list saying...

Pencils need to be SHARPENED

That's where I start having a problem. Now, I get that all the big stores have HUGE back-to-school sales, where you get super duper great deals. Nice to know when you're a mom needing to buy over 100 pencils. But, the only pencils that are on sale are "Brand X". "Brand X" pencils tend to break, and break, and BREAK whenever you're trying to sharpen them. When you finally get them sharpened, this is what you end up with... Not. Worth. The. Sale. Price. Every year I curse, yell, ~~break~~ slightly mame the million dollar electric pencil sharpener that I INSISTED I needed, to make my life easier, three years ago while going through this torture.

Then my friend told me about these... Presharpened pencils. Did you hear me people? PRESHARPENED!!
The Wal-Mart. Not. Kidding. The Wal-Mart sells these glorious beauties in a 10 pencil pack for $1.44 Yes! $1.44!! I will gladly pay $1.44 (X 10) for peace of mind alone, not to mention time saver!! Now what to do with the other 100 crappy pencils I bought for 40 cents a pack?
Maybe something like this? Or these for the new teachers? I can now that I have LOTS of free time because I don't have to sharpen any pencils!!I'm joining in on I'm Lovin' It Friday over at Tidy Moms!!

You Capture ~ Peace

2011-09-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to join in on the You Capture challenge this week, over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, because the assignment was "Peace". There hasn't been a whole lot of peace around these parts lately and I have a bad attitude about it. But then this happened...
A summer storm. The clouds came in, the temperature dropped about 25 degrees and the rain started. I changed into my sweats, lit a pumpkin spice candle and sat. I sat and listened to the rain pelt the roof, listened to it hit the sidewalk, listened to it smack the pond water. I left the windows open to smell the rain soaked pavement. I watched as the hail hit the leaves of the trees and the rain wash away the dust and pollen. I am in no way ready for fall, but this one day brought me a little peace.

Back to school!

Black Bean and Rice Salad

2011-08-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe to make for a large crowd. It is super easy to fix, it makes a lot and people love it. It works as a side dish or as a main course. You can add whatever you like to it, add a protein, different veggies or beans. It's super adaptable. Hope you love it!

2 ~ 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth

1/2 cup water

1 ~ 1 pound package long-grain rice

2 bay leaves

Bring broth and water to a boil, add rice and bay leaves. Bring back to a boil, reduce to low, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

(When I'm out of broth, or don't have bay leaves, I just add a chicken bouillon cube to the water and cook the rice as the package directs. Nothing has to be exact here!)

2 ~ 15 oz cans black beans, drained

2 red bell peppers

1 green bell pepper

1 medium red onion, diced (I feel that red onion is too harsh, so I omit the red onions and add diced green onions)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tblsps fresh squeezed lime juice (when I'm out of limes, I use orange juice!)

2 Tblsps red wine vinegar

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

(I typically double the dressing because I think it needs more, but only add to taste)

Once rice is cooked, transfer to a large bowl, fluff with fork. Add all chopped and diced ingredients. Top with dressing, salt and pepper to taste.

Can be prepared the day before, I like to leave the dressing off until I'm ready to serve.

Cover and refrigerate

Enjoy!

Mat Kearney Young Love

2011-08-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've been given the opportunity to review Mat Kearney's new album "Young Love". I was so excited about hearing his new album because I'm such a fan. The song "Hey Mama" has been playing on the radio for a couple of weeks, so I couldn't wait to hear what else Kearney had to offer on this new album.

"Young Love" did not disappoint! Kearney's last album was low key, soulful and more acoustic. "Young Love" is completely opposite of that! I love that Kearney went in a completely different direction, not the same thing.

"Young Love" is more of hip hop, dance album. If you haven't heard the hit song "Hey Mama" yet, go check out the video HERE
Check out the play list...

Hey Mama

Ships in the Night

Count on Me

Sooner or Later

Chasing the Light

Learning to Love Again

Down

She Got the Honey

Young, Dumb and in Love

Rochester

Definitely love "Hey Mama", "Count on Me" and "She Got the Honey" for their upbeat, foot tapping music. The sentimental "Rochester" is a wonderful tribute to his father.

Everyone would love this album. It's so versatile, yet fun and upbeat. Check out Kearney's fun widget HERE, to learn all about him and his music.
Thank you to One2One for giving me the opportunity to receive a copy of "Young Love" for review and the chance to win a gift card.

Fun with Phones Monday

2011-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

We've been CRAZY busy this past week, trying to pack all the fun in before school starts, that's why we've been absent from the blog. Things are winding down a bit, so I thought I'd start off the week right by joining in on Fun with Our Phones Monday! Here's just a little bit of what we've been up to...
Decided to do a spur of the moment trip to Seattle, to surprise my BFF for her BIG 4 - OH!! It was a super fun trip. The weather cooperated and we were able to get to the zoo. I was taking a break in the shade and this guy decided to meander past.

I actually got in a round of golf. Had the most fun with my friends Lori and Polly. This was one of my drives. Yep. That's the pin in the background! I think I have the bug back. Can't wait to play again!

Coop had his first football game. He's all official now, with his jersey and all. #91, remember it. He'll probably go pro any day now.

Went out to dinner with the family, to celebrate my father-in-laws birthday. The Cheese Brothers arrived. Photo is a little blurry, but pretty cute if you ask me!

Go check out Savannah and Erin's blogs for other Fun with Our Phones Monday participants!

It's All Greek To Me

2011-08-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest meals I like to prepare for myself (mind you, it's just for me because this is considered poison to the rest of my family) is Greek. Greek anything really. I consider anything with kalamata olives and feta cheese Greek. Don't judge.

A little leftover grilled chicken, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, green onions, cucumber and crumbled feta cheese. This time I put those ingredients over cous cous, but I've also used quinoa, lettuce and nothing at all, like a antipasta! You can use any type of dressing with it too. Sometimes I use Italian, red wine vinegar (zero calories), but this time I used basalmic spritzer. This is an easy throw together meal, super filling and yummy! Try it out!

My Fitness Pal

2011-08-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to find some useful apps for my Iphone/Ipad. And let's face it, I'm cheap, so I'm pretty much only testing the free apps right now. I've recently found one that I really like and I thought I would share it with you! It's called "My Fitness Pal" and I'm lovin' it! The app is only available for the Iphone, but that's all you would need. It's super easy to set up and use.
At set up, you need to input your age, weight, height etc. It asks you what weight you would like to be, calculates it all out and gives you a daily calorie intake. Then, it's up to you to input what you eat. The app is quite extensive on it's food library, so it's really easy to find what foods you have eaten. For example, I took the boys to Taco Bell for lunch, I wanted to see how many calories some of my favorite entrees were. I typed them in and the entire Taco Bell menu popped up! (FYI, a crunchwrap supreme is 540 calories! Almost half of my daily calories!!)

I would suggest you download this FREE app (Iphone only) and give it a try! It really makes you conscience of what you're eating!

Fun With Phones

2011-08-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well guess what I found!? Yet ANOTHER meme to get involved with!! How great is that?! Since getting my new fancy pants Iphone, I tend to take a lot of pictures with it. I mean A LOT of pictures. The BEST app for your Iphone is Instagram. Not kidding people. Greatest. App. Ever! It lets you, tint, change, distress, add, even make your photos look like they were taken in 1977! So awesome and retro! Anyhoo, I'm hooking up with Savannah and Erin for Fun with Our Phones Monday!! Here's what I came up with...
Spent Sunday afternoon hangin' like a family should. Took a bike ride and played some catch, which always means keep away from Chloe!! She ran as fast as she could to keep up! Here's our rendition of the "Dogs Days of Summer"!

Speaking of riding bikes, Coop FINALLY made it onto two wheels!! We lovingly ~~bribed, threatened, guilted~~ reassured him to take the last step of riding a bike and lose the last training wheel. With ~~two years of whining, bellyaching and crying~~ easy convincing, he jumped on and took off! Now there's no stopping him!
Got a few hours to spend by myself the other day. I met a girlfriend for lunch, then decided to peruse some of my favorite shops. Came upon this strange phenomenon. Wine corks for sale. People actually have to BUY wine corks? Why would anyone BUY wine corks WITHOUT the wine? Fools. Come to my house. I have a million of them. Maybe this is how I can make my millions!!

My baby getting ready for the first grade. (Actually, I'm in the background yelling and screaming that he has forgotten everything from kindergarten and he's going to have to ride the short bus ~ no offense to anyone that has to ride the short bus)
So those are a few of the photos from my phone!!

True Life: I'm A Fashion Blogger ~ NOT!

2011-08-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

I said I was going to join in on Fabulous but Evils True Life series of memes. However, what I did not realize is that there was going to be a fashion link-up. I am NOT a fashion girl. Case in point, I had a babysitter yesterday, went down to Nordstroms, walked around a bit and left. Empty handed I might add. I bought nothing. Don't see the need to spend the money. Or at least, Nordstrom kind of money. Why on Earth would anyone spend $45 on a plain, white t-shirt, when you can go to the good ol' Target' (must be pronounced with a French accent!) for $7? Oh, right, I'm supposed to be worried that people will KNOW it's from Nordstrom and carries the $45 price tag that they'll NEVER see. I always forget that part. Please know, by no means do I think I'm into fashion, have a clue about fashion or worry about fashion. Evident by my wardrobe...
Pretty typical day for me. Jeans, some sort of t-shirt (depending on the season, long or short sleeved), a sweater (or not) and a necklace. The. End.

I do like me some shoes, but once again, I opt for comfort before cuteness, so I'm typically in flip flops.
The reality. Just keepin it real peeps.

NFL Preseason

2011-08-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is how we've been spending the past two weeks...

Yep. My baby is playing football. His choice. He wanted to do it. I was just fine leaving him in the plastic bubble that I've been raising him in. He was safe there. But now, all those awful, mean six year olds will be going after him.

Five nights a week, two hours a day we go to practice. Can you believe that? For 6 year olds!! The coaches are pretty intense too. Very serious business. Clearly they're thinking these six year olds are going straight to the NFL.
We've had some tears (mostly by Mom) due to some equipment issues, but they're all resolved now and Coop is loving his new career. I'm interviewing agents next week. I'm sure there will be a lot more posts about football this fall!

Cookies and Cream

2011-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I whipped up some ice cream the other day. Recipe thanks to my buddies Ben & Jerry. Pretty much had all the supplies on hand, so it was super easy!
Whisked together the ingredients...

Crushed up some cookies...

Threw it all into the machine and turned it on!

Umm, yes please!

SOOO delicious and easy!! Give it a try with your favorite cookies!!

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

2 eggs

3/4 sugar

2 cups whipping cream (or heavy cream)

1 cup milk

1 cup crushed cookies (we used Oreos!)

2 tsp vanilla

Glacier National Park

2011-08-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd better show you some of our big summer camping trip photos before it starts snowing. Around here, you never know when that will happen. So here it is. The official Glacier National Park camping photos!! (I know, you're on the edge of your seat!)

Lake. Gorgeous.

Bus. Nostalgic and cute. Kids and hubby included for your viewing pleasure.
Big ass waterfall through a road. You can't make this stuff up people.

Cue wildlife for added ooohs and ahhhhs.
Now here's where we take a break from our scenic trip for station identification...

We went to Glacier in the middle of July. The weather was perfect. Hot days, warm evenings and thunderstorms at night. The day we decided to take the "Going to the Sun Road", it was the first day, of the season, it was open. Yes. In the middle of July, they had FINALLY cleared all of the snow. Just the week before, the Park had BULLDOZERS in to clear all the snow from the roads. Now, mind you, when you have feet and feet and FEET of snow, piled on top of decades old, rickety roads, you're bound to have some problems.

Let me paint a picture for you...
Delays. The "Going to the Sun Road" was "engineered" in 1932. This VERY narrow, two lane road "engineered" in 1932!!! We they even "engineering" in 1932 or was it just a bunch of grunts digging their way up a mountain? I'm leaning towards the latter. I don't think I have to say that in 1932, they probably didn't drive big, huge, diesel trucks like the one you see here in the picture. Many spots on the "Going to the Sun Road" (I keep putting "Going to the Sun Road" in quotations because I think it's all a farce. The "engineers" couldn't name it what it really was, "Go Towards the Light Because You're Going to Die Road".) were washed out due to all the snow and run-off, so the road was one lane, hence the delays.

This was the scenery from the Going to the Sun Road. Beautiful? Yes, but Ry and I couldn't enjoy it because we were in a big, huge, heavy diesel truck, teetering ever-so-slightly on a cliff of death. Poor baby Riley was in tears in the back seat because he was so scared. We made him lay down so he wouldn't have to be tortured. Aaahhh, the family vacation, full of lasting memories!

Breathtaking AND life threatening!!

Happy once we were back on level ground.

Even took a little time to get our sea legs back!

Glacier National Park. Been there. Done that. Bought a t-shirt saying,

"I survived the Going to the Sun Road". Not kidding.

True Life

2011-08-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in on a meme for the next several weeks, called "True Life, I'm a _____ blogger!", hosted by the Fabulous but Evil Tara (the same host as Target Tuesday, which you KNOW I love!!) and Mrs. Monologues. Today is the true life of a general blogger. Yes people, I'm a general blogger. And not the good general like Patton or anything. General as in boring. No direction, no talent, no point. Just general. Wait. I'm not sure I want to participate anymore. Well, I'm already in it, I might as well finish. I'm supposed to write a little about myself to REALLY suck in the new readers. So, here we go...

This is me. Yes, I AM this glamorous. However, my husband is not the mysterious Russian spy as he appears here. He works for the fire department, he's obsessed with the lawn and is a terrible traveler. We've been married for 17 years, we live in the Great White Tundra, and we have two amazing boys...
Here they are! Aren't they gorgeous? Go ahead, you can agree. I know you want to. Ry is 11, plays the piano, eats nothing and is almost as tall as me. Coop is 6, we call him Snarky McSnarky for a reason and he's solid as a rock. They're both amazing and we wouldn't trade them for anything. Well, most days.

This is my motto. It's been rumored that I enjoy a glass of wine occasionally. Next month will be the first time I will be by myself since early 2000 (both boys will be in school full time!) and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all my free time. I am good at a lot of things, but a master of none. I love movies, I'm trying to read more and I'm learning how to sew. I'm completely spoiled and I love my life.

And this is our dog. Yes, we know she's beautiful. We hear that ALL the time.

So that's me, the general blogger. No, I'm going to say General Blogger because I have to go yell at my kids.

Derby Salad

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July, my Mom whipped up her famouse Derby Salad. Isn't it gorgeous? The salad, not the ladies (however, they are gorgeous too!) This is kind of a staple party dish for my Mom. She makes it often, she takes it often and it's always a hit. It's super easy, delicious and has fantastic presentation! I thought I would share the recipe with you so you can take it to your next gathering!

Romaine lettuce

hard boiled eggs

tomatoes

green onions

bacon

avocado

crumbled blue cheese

shredded chicken

Chopping of all the ingredients is time consuming, but you could do it all in advance, so when it's time to serve, all you have to do is top the lettuce and go! Another time saving tip, buy canned chicken (like tuna)

the dressing:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 glove garlic, minced

1/2 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Mix all dressing ingredients until blended well, pour over salad, right before serving and toss.

Sewing

2011-08-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've told you all about my sister and how talented she is at sewing. She can make anything and she has "the eye" (you know, the knack of putting cute fabrics together) She's started a blog FABRIC OBSESSION and is hoping to turn her habit of quilting into a business. With that, she decided that she needed a bigger, faster, smarter, more gizmo'ed sewing machine to help her along. She bought her fancy-pants turbo machine (can you tell how technically sewing machine savvy I am?) and handed down her old faithful machine to me!! Can I tell you how long I've wanted a machine? Only, like, FOREVER! I've always wanted to be able to whip up cute little crafts and gifts. Well, now I can!! I'm so excited!
Recently, my sister sat down with me and gave me my first sewing lesson!! I had a lesson several years ago, on an old, antiquated machine. It was so confusing just to thread it, I gave up. But with this machine, it's pretty basic (nothing the instruction manual or a frantic call to my sister won't fix!) and I'm on my way to creating fun new things! The camping pillowcases I made for the boys (I use the term "I made" VERY lightly, as my sister was RIGHT next to me, the entire time, helping with each little step!) turned out SUPER cute! I can't wait to get the craft room in order so I can set up my machine and get sewing on some fun projects!!

So with this, coincidentally, my sister told me about Madame Samm and her awesome month of giveaways!! Madame Samm has a fabulous quilting blog Wantobe Quilter (SO many cute things! Check out her cup cozies!!) She's having an ENTIRE MONTH of sewing giveaways!! Can you believe that?! AN ENTIRE MONTH!! On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays the giveaways are geared toward the newbie sewer, like me. On Tuesday and Thursdays the giveaway is more for the advanced sewer, like my sister. But either way, it's a win, win, WIN!! 5 days a week of win!! I'm SO excited about this! I hope to win some cool stuff, so I can really start sewing some cool stuff!! Go check out Wantobe Quilter if you're interested in winning sewing things!! Or, don't then it will give me a better chance of winning!

Mean Girls

2011-07-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

My Mother did a pretty good job raising two, nice girls, if I don't say so myself. She taught us to mind our P's and Q's, always told us, "Pretty is, is pretty does", taught us manners, social graces and the golden rule, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". I think my sister and I took that last one a little too seriously because both of us don't say squat. We just sit, nod and smile, holding our true feelings inside. Less complications that way. No arguments. No confrontations. No hassles.

However, all of that is changing for me. Recently I've had a few life altering events that have made me realize that I need to stand up and speak up for me and my family. I've had some people treat me poorly. I'm tired of sitting back and letting people walk all over me, with no repercussions. I've found my voice and I'm using it. Big time.

Like I said, I'm a nice girl, easy to get along with, easy to talk to. I've always been every one's friend, even when it wasn't the popular thing to do. Always have been. Hell, I've been told I could carry on a conversation with a rock. So, it's hard to imagine anyone treating an easy going, friendly girl like crap. I'm not just realizing that there are mean, manipulative people in the world, I just never cared. I would listen to someone, shrug my shoulders and walk away. No arguments. No complications. No hassles.

I have ended two friendships in my lifetime. Two. Both times because I did not want to deal with a bad situation. How did I end these friendships? Not with yelling. Not with confrontation. Not with tears. I ended these friendships by not calling. That's right. I just stopped calling. And in both cases, the other person involved started talking. And by talking, I don't mean to me. I mean to everyone else. These "mean girls" proceeded to start and spread vicious lies, stories and rumors, all because I stopped calling.

The first time this happened, I did nothing. I was young, blindsided and never had to deal with a situation like this before, so I hid. I stayed far away from anyone and anything that had to do with this toxic person. However, several years later, when it happened again, but with a different person, I wasn't going to take it. No way. No how.

I took care of the situation the best I knew how. I contacted each person, individually, so that we could talk about the what was going on. I had never done anything to any of the people involved, yet, I was the one being blamed for everything. Blamed for what exactly? That's what I wanted to know. Yet, no one could give me an answer. Because there was no answer. I had called them out on their mean girl behavior.

The thing that bothers me, is not so much the toxic person. Clearly, that person has issues. Issues that have bounced from place to place. Issues of what? Who knows. All I know is that I was the ONLY person that stuck by them, trying to be nice, trying to see the good, giving chance after chance. Why couldn't I see what all others did right away? Slow learner I suppose. At least I'm looking inward. I would suggest they do the same. What really bothers me is the people that listen to the lies, that fall prey to the drama. These sheep, that can't make a decision for themselves, that follow because of ignorance. Are you really that weak that you can't stand on your own and see what all others do?

With all of that said (and my sister rolling her eyes because she hates when bloggers do nothing but rant, talk and give opinions), I just want all to know that I'm not lying down and taking it anymore. I'm not putting up with stupid, immature behavior. If this loses me a "friend", then so be it. I don't need everyone to like me.

End of rant.

You Capture - Fruit

2011-07-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm getting right back on the blogging schedule and forcing myself to take photos. No better way to to do that then to join in on Thursday's You Capture over at I Should Be Folding Laundry! This weeks challenge, fruit. First time I've ever tried growing strawberries and they're coming right along! So big and juicy! A perfect fruit to capture in the morning sunshine!
The old stand-bys.
Come on babies! RIPEN!!
White

Catch Up

2011-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd give you a quick overview of what's been going on with us these past three months. Mind you, these are just SOME of the things we've been doing. I'll probably get a little more in depth on some of the activities. But for now, here's the Cliff Notes version...

My Royal Tea. I have to say, it was beautiful. I put a lot of work into the planning of this tea, down to the little details. I have to say, my lovely guests thoroughly enjoyed the morning and gushed over everything, which I so appreciated. I loved the wedding, all the pomp and circumstance and the memories that I will always have about where I was when I watched the Royal Wedding. My Mom was honored as a recipient of the 2011 Women of Wisdom award. The qualifications to be nominated for this award are...

"Must be 65 years or older,

possesses vision and achieves goals through collaboration,

exhibits a love of learning ..

shows a commitment to the community,

has positive impact in the areas of art, music, education and service."

My Mom totally and completely deserved this honor. We celebrated at a lovely luncheon, where about 150 people attended. My Mom was in her element, in the limelight and she was glowing. I'm SO proud of you Mom! I was honored to stand beside my fellow Soul Sisters (my non-profit women's group) and serve our Veterans. The local Veterans hospital held it's first annual BBQ before our town's annual Veterans parade and we were asked to help. We dove in, served up burgers and dogs and loved every minute of it. This was the first time I had attended the Veterans parade and it will definitely be an annual event for us. I was so honored to serve people from ALL the wars! We had vets from the Korean, Vietnam and even Pearl Harbor survivors!! It was awesome!!

Coop graduated from Kindergarten!! Here he's holding his ticket into the first grade! (Not that they need a ticket, just a symbol) He's SO excited to move into the "BIG" school (kindergartners were in portables, off from the main school) in the Fall!

I started sewing! My sister gave me her hand-me-down sewing machine and gave me a quick lesson. I whipped up a couple of cute camping pillowcases for the boys! Looking forward to more lessons and sewing in the Fall!!

BIG NEWS! Rach and I reconciled!! It was a long year of anger, resentment, and stupid pride, but we're back together!!! We're planning our fabulous, over-the-top re-commitment ceremony! Look for your invite in the mail!

Swimming lessons happened.

And then things like this happened.

And this. Like I said, I'll need to go further into detail on some things that have happened.

Another fabulous 4th of July in the books! Our big summer camping trip! Glacier this year!! I have so many gorgeous photos to share with you!! Here's just a sneak peak!!

So that's just a quick overview of what we've been up to since April!! Like I said, this isn't everything, just some highlights!

I'm Back

2011-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am. I'm back. Back in the saddle again (cue Aerosmith song, or Gene Autry, depending on your generation and taste). No, that's not a photo of me on a horse. It's the only thing I could find that showed that I'm saddling up and getting back into blogging. I can't believe the last time I blogged was 3 months ago!! 3 MONTHS!! I'm sure many of you are wondering what happened to me and why I suddenly stopped blogging. I stopped for one reason, but that one reason quickly turned into several other reasons. I'll get into those at a later time. Or maybe I won't. This post is why I ORIGINALLY stopped blogging back in April.

Three words: BLOGGY BAD ATTITUDE. You've seen it here before (read about it HERE and HERE). It's nothing new and by reading other blogs, I am not the only one afflicted by this disease. Bloggy bad attitudes happen to everyone, for different reasons, but the most common? Lack of support, lack of reassurance, lack of COMMENTS. Those of us that have a blog, blog because we have something to say, something to share, something we want the world (or at least, out of town family and friends) to know. In my case, I have found out that through blogging 3 thing happen...

1. My creative side comes out

2. I take more photos

3. My family tends to eat better

Since I've stopped blogging, I've also stopped doing projects, I've stopped taking pictures and I've stopped experimenting with food. When I blog, I like to try new things, so I can blog about them and share them with you. All of these things have stopped and it makes me sad.

I was hoping this blog would go somewhere. I was hoping that my snarky attitude and way with words would carry this blog in to some kind of job. To be paid, have sponsorships or to be able to sell ad space on the blog, anything to be compensated for my time spent blogging. Wouldn't that be a dream?

I get frustrated when I see bloggers write about how they have 5000 followers and they've only been blogging for 6 months. Or how they are "overwhelmed" by the amount of support and comments that they receive on a daily basis. Are you kidding me? I've been blogging for over 3 YEARS and the only comments I get is when my family is mad at me for not blogging every day? Yay for me.

Another frustration is seeing some of the blogs out there and the popularity they have. One blog in particular (I won't mention which one it is) drives me CRAZY! The woman that writes it claims it to be a "lifestyle" blog, like your favorite magazine, but in blog form. She talks about books, travel, fashion, food, all the same things I blog about, but she's UBER popular. So popular in fact, that she's sent to blogging conferences by sponsors and gets to outfit her entire kitchen in brand new appliances, just to "try out" and blog about it. Good for her, right? Only problem, everything she does on her blog is awful!! She has no fashion sense, she does ridiculous recipes and the books she suggests are AWFUL! But, clearly, people think she has something because she has MAJOR daily traffic on her blog and that's what counts. Sponsors want to see numbers.

I enjoy blogging. I like the creative aspect of it. I enjoy the blogging community and love that I have made several blogging buddies over these past 3 years. But sometimes, I get frustrated. I've worked like a dog creating this blog and it's content. Hell, in 2010, I blogged 336 days!! I only missed 29 days of blogging the entire year!! That's A LOT of work people!! I'm looking ahead to this fall, when my babies go off to school for the entire day (that's a WHOLE other post!) and I'm left to find something to do. I would LOVE to be able to blog and get some sort of compensation for it. Does anyone have any ideas (that I haven't already done) to drive up my traffic, get my blog hits up and lure in the sponsors? Any ideas would be great, thanks.

I'm not sure what's going to happen now. I need to get back on a blogging schedule and I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to do that. I'm thinking I need to have set days, when I blog about certain things, like Mondays will be a new recipe, Tuesdays talk about reality TV. But I like spontaneity too. I'm thinking I need to change the look of the blog. Maybe get a new background? Colors? Not sure, still feeling it all out.

Just know that I'm back. I'm not sure how much I will blog, or how often, but I'm back. But really, I know all you want to see, is more of this...

Your welcome.

Target Tuesday #5 - Royal Wedding

2011-04-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

I was hesitant on participating in this weeks Target Tuesday over at Fabulous but Evil. I've got lots to do around here and I didn't think Target was going to help me out. WHAT?! Am I kidding?! When DOESN'T Target help me out? They have EVERYTHING I need and want! This is what it's looking like around my house...

Can you say ROYAL WEDDING? Still a little ticked that I didn't receive an invitation. I would TOTALLY rock at the reception. WAY better than that skinny Posh Spice. I mean really, the only reason Will and Kate invited her is because she won't eat anything, therefore, making her a cheap guest. The wedding is THIS Friday peeps and I'm planning a fancy shin dig. Where else to look for help, then at trusty Target! (instead of our usual French accent, we're going to use a British one, m'kay? Keeping with the theme and all) Here's what I found to help me in my planning...

Well duh! Official music
Fancy pants jewels and of course...

Not just ANY tiara, a $62.99 tiara. FANCY! And just in case all of that isn't enough royalty for you, there's always this...
I MUST learn to knit! All items can be found on Target.com!

In other news... this is what I have found for my fancy pants, Royal gala event... Mmmmm. Just a spot! These are from my own collection. Yip yip! Cheers!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

We had an EGGcellent Easter weekend (Sorry! Couldn't help myself!)! We had TONS of sunshine (FINALLY!), got some things done around the house and we even had a visitor! Our cousin Tracy was visiting all the way from England! We had a leisure afternoon, basking in the sunshine.

Some shades were needed. The boys wanted Tracy to help decorating the Easter eggs.
She had never decorated eggs for Easter, so a few lessons were needed. In return, she schooled the boys about the real meaning of Easter. A very professional team.
Coop's cool camo egg!
Ry's favorite egg!

It was so fun sharing a bit of our Easter traditions with our family from across the Pond!

Easter morning came bright and early with the exclimation, "MOM! DAD! THE EASTER BUNNY CAME!! Thanks to Coop, the egg hunt started at 6:40 a.m. Ugh. Easter baskets are always hidden in our house. Ry's is usually hidden pretty well. Easter's past he has found his basket in the dishwasher and dryer. This year, it was quietly sitting in the grandfather clock! Sneaky Easter Bunny!

The eggs quickly lined up. Chocolates, coins and a few dollars were found.
This is how others chose to spend their morning.
Quite a haul of goodies!
Then we decided to have a spontaneous early dinner with my family. I hurried and whipped up The Pioneer Womans Hot Cross buns. They didn't look very pretty, but they tasted delicious!
Then things just got silly.
And this is what it came to.

It was an EGGcellent Easter weekend! How was yours?!

I'm Lovin It Friday - Cheesecake Strawberries!

2011-04-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! The sun is FINALLY shining! And this is what I'm Lovin' this Friday! Cheesecake strawberries! No, not strawberry cheesecake, but I do like that too! These are cheesecake strawberries!! I saw the idea this morning on Pinterest (oh, you know how much I love my Pinterest!). I'm off to a gathering of my girlies tonight and thought they'd be the PERFECT thing to take for dessert! Ready? Come take a look...
Now this is the dumbed down, easy peasy version that you can do last minute. If you want to make it all difficult, have at it, but I'm stickin' with this! Fresh strawberries (thank you Costco for a little taste of summer!) and a box, yes, I said it, BOX of no-bake cheesecake.

Clean and hull the strawberries. Make sure you take out a lot of the innards.

Mix up the cheesecake filling, as per directed on the box. Yes, I said it again, BOX!

Pour the innards in a gallon size Ziplock bag.

Snip a little hole at the end of the bag. You see where this is going, don't you!?

Fill them babies up with the cheesecake goo!!

Overfill the berries a bit, then lightly tap the top in the graham cracker crust, making sure to cover all the cheesecake goodness with graham cracker dust!

THAT'S IT! A little bit sized cheesecake! Are you kidding me?! NO! GENIUS!! Perfect and easy for any party or occasion! Why not wow your guests on Easter with this great dessert!

Now, I KNOW Miss Cheryl, over at Tidy Mom, is going to LOVE this idea! So make sure you go over and see me HIGHLIGHTED! ; )

You Capture - Spring

2011-04-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

This weeks You Capture challenge over at I Should Be Folding Laundry is Spring. Let me tell you, around these parts, this was a TOUGH challenge!! Considering this is how we started our day...
Yep! Still snowing in these parts! If it doesn't change soon, there will probably be a mass exodus out of here! ME being the first in line OUT! Here's what I had to come up with for Spring...

Thankful for Spring decorations to brighten the place up!

Yay!

And I had to purchase some Spring flowers so I could enjoy the color and scent!

There's a little Pacific Northwest Spring for ya!

Pink! My favorite!

What I Wore Wednesday #6

2011-04-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post anything for What I Wore Wednesday because I was planning on staying home (ie: sweats), but today is my friends birthday and we are spontaneously going to lunch to celebrate! Look at me! In the "Ladies Who Lunch" club! Fancy! So, this is what I came up with...

T-shirt - Target

Sweater - Nordstrom Rack

Jeans - Gap

Necklace - Forever 21

And I wanted to wear these fun, Springy wedges (Payless), but considering the temperature is only 45 degrees and we are still dealing with THIS, I chose these instead...Hey, we're going to a pub for lunch. What more do you want?
And I'm topping the ensemble off with this pale pink trench, also from The Rack. Still trying to think Spring!
Super cute back too! Go over to The Pleated Poppy to see what some other people are wearing this Wednesday!

Target Tuesday #4

2011-04-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's another round of Target Tuesday! You KNOW how much I love my Target (said with a French accent!) This week I'm concentrating on beauty products! Here we go!
Almay Smart Shade foundation. Have you tried this? Best. Make-up. Ever! ~~My Mom~~ Santa put this in my stocking this past year and I love it! Completely matches your skin, goes on light and it has an SPF. I guess I should be saving this for my I'm Lovin' It Friday, but I can get it at Target and so should you!

Fekkai glossing hair care. Because all girls should have glossy hair! I used this when I was in California and it smells yummy!

Chi straightener. STILL waiting for a good flat iron. Just need to muster up enough courage to shell out $100 for it. Ugh.

Essi nail color in Mochachino. I'm all into the grey and nude nail polish right now.

I could continue, but then I'd never stop! I love me some Target! Hop over to Fabulous but Evil and check out all the other Target Tuesday finds!!

Spring Weather

2011-04-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

I often talk about our weather. Our weather is not something to be envious of. We do not live near an ocean where it doesn't snow. We do not live in the South where it's sunny all the time. We do not live in an area that is protected from the wind. We live in a place that gives us this in the middle of April...

Not. Kidding. I believe they call it Hell, and yes, it's freezing over.

Busy Weekend

2011-04-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

We've been going nonstop since we got home from our vacation. The minute we arrived home, we hit the ground running! Jack was CRAZY busy at work, testing, interviewing and hiring for different positions in the fire department. We barely saw him all week! While he was putting in VERY long hours at work, this is what me and the boys did...

We had a birthday celebration at school for someone that turned 6 during Spring Break. I was asked to be the "Royal Reader" for the morning. A tiara, wand and cape were involved so I was in! We read our favorite book from home and brought treats to celebrate.

Chocolate donuts with sprinkles were requested, and so it came to be.

We had lessons, appointments and a highlight of my week, my monthly meeting with my women's group!

We also had ANOTHER birthday celebration, this time, with our closest friends! We played games...

We were spoiled by good friends...and by an ambulatory Uncle (he broke his back last week and has a body cast on!! What a trooper to come to the party!) And how to celebrate?

With Angry Bird cupcakes of course!

Happy Birthday Coop!

Then we were off to watch a colorful movie ~ Rio! (REALLY cute!) With snacks and treats!

Such a fun birthday party!! Then this morning, I did the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure with my women's group! So fun and inspiring! Hopefully this week we'll be able to slow down a bit and catch our breath!

You Capture - Smiles

2011-04-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

This weeks You Capture challenge, over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, is smiles. Well, that's pretty easy around these parts! Spacey smiles with rosey cheeks.

Freckle faced grins.

Super model smiles!

Spring. I'm going to have to move to capture any Spring!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Giggles and good times with Grandma.

Target Tuesday #3

2011-04-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

It's another installment of Target Tuesday hosted by the fabulous Tara over at Fabulous but Evil! Since we just spent the week in sunny California, it inspired me to think of our summer ahead (mind you, summer around here won't show up until late August and it will only last about a week!) Here are just a few things I have my eye on over at the Target!

A new arbor. My father in law built me an arbor several years back, but the weather finally killed it. I have grapes growing where the old arbor used to be, so I would like to get another one so my grapes can flourish!

Yep. Looks good.

With maybe some of this cheese hanging over me. I still have California on my mind!

The Marilla conversation set. Oh, yes please!

I could go on for DAYS about all the outdoor goodies I want from the Target! Why not pop over to Target.com and see all the awesomeness they have featured this week!

Road Trippin'

2011-04-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

We're BAAAACK! Bet you didn't even know we were gone, did ya?! I'm all super stealthy like that. We decided to hit the road for Spring Break! I just didn't tell you we were leaving because I didn't want the creepers coming over to my house and stealing all my super cool What I Wore Wednesday outfits. Anyhoo, the kids were on half days (due to conferences) so at lunch time on Friday, April 1st, we hit the road! What lied ahead was 16 hours of togetherness in the car! Can you say good times?! It really wasn't that bad. We broke it up into two days, took our time and enjoyed the ride! Our destination? Sunny California! We needed to GET OUT of this sullen, dark, dreary place for awhile and soak up some sun!! Oh yeah! Weed. Beautiful Mt. Shasta in the background. Blue skies await! We made our way down Eastern Washington, down the middle of Oregon (COME ON OREGON! Raise your speed limit will ya!) and into Northern California, my birthplace. Home of my parents winter home, valley heat and... The Jelly Belly factory!! It was Cooper's birthday and all he wanted to do was go to the Jelly Belly factory! And so we did! Beautiful skies, warm weather, shorts and Jelly Bellies! What else could a six year old ask for on his birthday? Oh, maybe the MASSIVE haul the boys brought home! Helps that my parents know the CEO of Jelly Belly!!

Our trip was full of fantastic restaurants, shopping and oh, did I mention, fabulous weather?! We celebrated a birthday. And had a super special trip on a train! Pure heaven for this little guy.

Such a great way to travel.

Helping the Conductor. Making sure he's doing his job right. Bring your own snacks, there's a dining car if you prefer!

The anticipation of our arrival! And the destination.... my love, San Francisco!One of my BFF's met us down at the Pier.

Transamerica building peaking through in the background.

Coit Tower. A tribute to firefighters. Ahhh, the Wharf. Heaven for Mommy. Boudin sourdough.

A new fan.

SO many picturesque settings. Alcatraz.

Took a tour on a World War II submarine. Amazing! Played some games at the Musee Mecanique. It's a free museum full of all the old school arcade games. So cool! The beautiful Golden Gate and the Bay. Sigh.

Well where else would you take an 11 year old that LOVES chocolate?

Oh yeah!!

Crammed in, ready to go up the hills, then down and the yummy smell of burning wood (brakes on the cable car)! The cable car ride even mustered up a smile out of this grump!

Lombard Street. Coit Tower in the background, Angel Island and Oakland in the distance.

We met this guy, Allen. He's the shoe shine guy at the Sir Francis Drake hotel in Union Square. He knows everything there is to know about shoes. Just ask him. Oh, and he was featured on Dirtiest Jobs with Mike Rowe. He'll even show you a video of it on his laptop. Too fun!

We bumped into the Easter Bunny in Union Square.

I'm hoping the Easter Bunny stopped in one of these stores for a little sumin'-sumin' for my Easter basket! On the trip home, my Mom and I split a bottle of wine and I pondered my years spent in San Francisco. I love that city. Love it with all of my heart and I can't wait to go back and show my kids where I lived, ate and why my heart is there. This is what the boys did on the way home. Long day. We also went here. Really? How could we not!

If you've never been to the California Train Museum, it's a MUST see! SO many gorgeous, well preserved and impressive trains!

Every kids dream!

Hours.

We did SO much on our trip to California! These are just SOME of the highlights! It was so nice getting away, leaving all the worries, stress and weather behind. We're already thinking about what to do on our next trip to California!

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to an AWESOME new blog I've found!! It's called Fabric Obsession and guess what it's mainly about? You got it! Fabric! The talent behind this creative, crafty and inspiring blog is Karen. Oh? You say she looks familiar? Well she should! She's my sister!! She has decided to take a HUGE leap into the blogging world to show off her amazing quilts and skilz (because she has some killa skilz!). On her blog, you'll hear stories about her adventures in the quilting world. So, you'll see a lot of this. And beautiful works like this.

An occasionally some things like this might pop up! What do you expect? She's MY sister!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go over to FABRIC OBSESSION and take a look around. She's super talented, has great hints, tips and suggestions. (umm, Kar, if you don't have great hints, tips and suggestions, then maybe you should start because I'm sending all these people over to your blog to see and learn something. Just sayin) Make sure you leave her some comment LOVE because you all know how much we bloggers crave comment love!!

And thanks for your support (said just like the cranberry guys on TV)

Happy 6th Birthday Coop!

2011-04-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Cooper's 6th birthday! We have BIG plans (more on that later!), so the birthday interview will have to wait! Don't worry, knowing Coop, I'm sure the wait will be worth it! Enjoy your Monday. Hoping it brings sunshine, warmer weather and Spring flowers your way!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COOPER!!

Life Skills

2011-04-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

I just want you to know that I am trying to raise independant, stable, reliable, polite, self-assured, confident, loving, caring, smart boys. I want them to leave for college with all of life's necessary skills.

Pringle duck lips = mastered.

Politicians

2011-04-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this yet? I think they have a future in sales. Or politics. All the same really.

I'm Lovin It Friday - Big Balls!

2011-04-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

For this weeks edition of I'm Lovin' It Friday, I have chosen the one thing that makes me laugh, harder than anything. That's right! ABC's Wipeout. THE best show on TV! Each week, I cozy up, with a box of tissue and get ready for pain inducing bouts of laughter. While watching Wipeout, I've been known to cry, snort like a pig and even laugh so hard that no sound comes out. Yes. It's THAT funny.

The best part of the show is the commentary. John Henson is HILARIOUS! I've loved John Henson since he was on The Soup. Just listening to the names he gives the contestants can leave me in stitches!

Besides the commentary, best part? The big balls. Yep. I said it. I love big red balls. If you haven't watched Wipeout yet, set your DVR. It really is THAT funny! For a glimpse, go check out some clips HERE. After you're done, you can thank me by leaving a comment on how funny you think it is!

You Capture - Vibrance

2011-03-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here, in the Pacific Northwest, Spring doesn't give us a lot of opportunity to see a lot of vibrance. It's cold, wet and miserable. The flowers don't even think about coming about ground until late April. Unfortunately, vibrance is this weeks You Capture challenge over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. I had to dig deep to find some vibrance around here. And then I saw these... Reaching, I know.

Fun

Top Chef All Stars Finale

2011-03-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

OK people, I know you have been DYING to find out what I wore this Wednesday, but you're out of luck. I stayed home all day, so I wore sweats. Not quite the sweats I wore last Wednesday, but sweats just the same. Visualize. I'm here this Wednesday to talk about the Top Chef All Stars season finale!! It's tonight!! I'm so excited, I can't wait! It's down to the final two! Annoying Mike from New York.

And my pick, Richard. I'm a HUGE Richard fan. Remember way back HERE when I spotlighted Richard as one of my favorites? I knew he'd make it to the end. Next time I'm in Atlanta, I'm totally going to his restaurant! Keep your fingers crossed my guy wins tonight!!

Target Tuesday #2

2011-03-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's proving to be my favorite day of the week because it's time for Target Tuesday, hosted by Fabulous but Evil! Still continuing on my craft room obsession, here are a few items I found that would look LOVELY in my new space...

Madison swivel office chair. This is the from the same line that brought you that beautiful desk I highlighted last week. Can you just SEE me scootin' around my craft room in this beauty?

Library style storage in walnut. Umm, yeah. Have. To. Have. HELLO!! Can you say PERFECT with the pink walls in the craft room, with the AWESOME new armoire colors?! Totally getting. What do you think of my choices? Are you coveting anything from Target lately? I know, dumb question!

An Update

2011-03-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to show you my armoire project until it was completed, but I couldn't help myself! I'm so excited about the progress, I had to share! Remember, this is what I started with.

Orange stain, holes for the TV cords, dust and all. And this is what it's shaping into...

The lighting is a little weird in this picture, but you get the idea! And here's the coup de gras, wait for it...

BAM! Do you LOVE it?! I am SOOO in love with this aqua color!! SO much fun! I'm still putting some finishing touches on the paint, then I have to figure out what I'm going to do on the inside. But so far, I LOVE IT!! I can't believe it has taken me this long to do something with the armoire! Taking this leap has really inspired me to continue creating my perfect craft room!! I'll keep you posted! I'm hooking up with Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphasis Monday!Go check out the HUNDREDS of other before and afters!!

Weekend Visitor

2011-03-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Cooper was the lucky kid to get his name picked out of the hat this past week. His prize? He got to take home the class pet this weekend. Yep. Lucky us. So, we had a weekend visitor. Smoothie, the class guinea pig. Smoothie is about 180 years old and that's in human years. God knows how old he is guinea pig years. We brought Smoothie home on Friday and set him up in a prime location in the house, right next to the TV. Cooper informed me that Smoothie likes to watch TV, so that's where we put him.

Coop was thrilled to have his new buddy in the house. He had to invite, not one, but two friends over to show Smoothie off. There was a lot of holding and running. You guess which one Smoothie did. There was also a lot of this... Stare downs. Chloe didn't get a minute of rest the entire weekend, due to the fact that she was OBSESSED with Smoothie. Mind you, Smoothie could have given a rats batootie about Chloe, but there were a lot of stare downs. I really think Smoothie was giving Chloe the big guinea pig finger, but I never really saw it. Smoothie fared pretty well, considering this was Chloe's favorite toy...

She loved her guy, until this happened... So needless to say, Smoothie fared VERY well.

You Capture - Youth

2011-03-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

This weeks You Capture challenge, over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, is youth. Now, I know I should have plastered this post with exceptional pictures of me, because I'm all youthful and stuff, but we'll save that for next week when the challenge will be vibrance. Instead, I'll give you some shots of some youts. Yes, I said youts, just like in My Cousin Vinny.
Coop had some friends come over yesterday, so it was the perfect opportunity to capture some youts. Our little buddy Brady had surgery on his foot and isn't supposed to put much weight on it. But the kids wanted to get outside and enjoy the very rare sighting of the sun. Solution? An under the car scooter thing! Genius!

And topped it all off with some popseecles. That's what Coop calls them, popSEEcles.

Vibrance

What I Wore Wednesday #5

2011-03-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

OH YEAH! Here we go for another week of What I Wore Wednesday! You KNOW how much I love Wednesdays, just for this reason! This is an exceptional week for fashion for me. I'm really stepping it up a notch, knowing that I have tens of people anxious to see what I pull together. Well, the wait is over. Here is what I wore this Wednesday...

Notice the over sized sweatpants. They were nabbed from Jack's closet about 15 years ago. Total hip and chic vintage. I know, you're jealous. And the paint strewn sweatshirt. Circa 1993, from Garth Brooks' Ropin' the Wind tour. Priceless really.

Didn't leave my house. I'm gettin' my craft on, so this is what you get! This one's for you Kathy! Keepin' it real!! Til' next week!

Target Tuesday

2011-03-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for this? I have found the ultimate meme EVAH!! Cute little Tara over at Fabulous but Evil has, every Tuesday... (pause for effect....)

TARGET TUESDAY!! Can you say PERFECT for me?! I'm thinking this will play very nicely into What I Wore Wednesday, considering 98.7% of my wardrobe comes from Target. SO many cute new, Springy things at Target right now, I could have cut and pasted the entire Sunday ad, but I'll start with just a few. Here are some things I'm loving on this Target Tuesday...

Journee Ruffle Sandal. Hello darling!
Dolce Vita Rope Wedge Sandals in Cognac. These would look super cute with a pair of capris or rolled jeans. It's really unfortunate I'd look like a drag queen in these super high wedges. Oh well, a drag queen can dream!

Madison Trestle Desk. Can you say AWESOME for the craft room?! LOVE!

There's my list for Target Tuesday! I will DEFINITELY be doing this link-up again!!

Defeat

2011-03-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've resigned myself to getting an IPhone. I've put it off, fought it and down right refused to get one, but now I've caved. And for no other reason than I feel like I HAVE to get one. Everyone else is doing it, so I should too, right? That's me, Mrs. Keep-up-with-the-Joneses. Not! The real reason I'm doing it is because my phone contract is up next month, I need a new phone and it seems like all you can get IS the IPhone.

Two years ago, I got one of the fancy, touch screen phones that do everything for you, but I refused to get a data package. Why should I pay a million dollars a month for a data package when I spend 98% of my time at home and can use my computer/IPad for free (well, sort of free)? It's all a racket.

The reason I've steered away from the Iphone/fancy phones that basically brush your teeth for you is because I don't want to become one of "those" people. You know the type, you meet for lunch and they have to touch/look at their phone every 3.5 seconds. They always have their phone, can never been out of eye sight from it. I HATE that! Your life is NOT that important that you have to be rude and constantly check your phone. What are you checking it for? The e-mail you're going to get from Old Navy? The Facebook update from the kid that sat next to you in high school English that you haven't seen in 20 years? Or the text from your friend that tells you she just saw something gross at the Wal-Mart? Everyone already knows that if you're going to the Wal-Mart, you're going to see something gross!!

And what cracks me up, the people that are ATTACHED to their phones, but claim they didn't receive your call or text. Really? You are OBSESSED with electronic devices, have every new gadget known to man and you didn't get my text. Bull. Just tell me you didn't want to talk to me.

I hate phone addicts and I'm afraid that if I get the IPhone, I'll become one of "them". How about the need to ONLY use your cell phone? That drives me crazy. When I come home, I drop my purse on the washing machine, close the door and walk away, WITH MY PHONE IN IT! GASP! I know! I actually walk away from my phone!! So please, DO NOT call my cell phone. Call my house because if I'm home, I'll answer my home phone, NOT my cell. And if you don't reach me at home, THEN try my cell phone. If I don't answer that phone either that means I either am getting a lobotomy or I just don't want to talk to you.

I do have to admit, the IPhone will be very handy. To be able to look things up, research and occupy the boys when we're at appointments. I am afraid that with the IPhone, I will become more obsessed with my Words with Friends, Twitter and Pinterest. Now I'll be able to keep up with all three while out and about! And then there's always this to look forward to...
Oh yes I am. BLING!

Giggles

2011-03-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another great video! Nothing better than big belly laughs!

Guilty!

2011-03-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided to share a couple of funny videos this weekend! LOVE this video, maybe because I know someone like this?

I'm Lovin' It Friday - Pinterest!

2011-03-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

For today's I'm Lovin' It Friday, I've decided to talk about my newest obsession, Pinterest. Have you heard of it? Pinterest is...

"...a virtual pin board - a place where you can create collections

of things you love and "follow" collections created by

people with great taste".

So basically it's a virtual pin board for all the great ideas you see! Rather than rip out pages from magazines or try to remember what website you saw something you love, you can chronicle all the great things you see on Pinterest!

Ironically, Tidy Mom chose Pinterest as her I'm Lovin' It Friday post too, that's how great it is!! And because Tidy Mom has SO MANY awesome things categorized on her Pinterest page, I thought I would show you hers (I'm still building my page, so it doesn't look this awesome yet!)
Not only can you chronicle the things you love on your Pinterest page, you can peruse other peoples pages and "repin" stuff from their page to yours. WARNING: you can waste some SERIOUS time while on Pinterest!! But what a great way to waste an afternoon! It's like strolling a street of quaint boutiques! Pinterest is a little bit of window shopping, organizing and Facebook all rolled into one! You can "follow" people you like, comment and share ideas. You can follow my Pinterest HERE. You must be invited to join Pinterest, so if you're interested, let me know and I'll shoot you an invite!!

You Capture - Emotion in Black & White

2011-03-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

I Should Be Folding Laundry's You Capture this week is Emotion in Black & White. Well, you say black and white, guess what I think of.. No special effects here, she's THAT naturally pretty!

That's emotion right there. Determination.

And a little bit of psycho.

Youth

What I Wore Wednesday #4

2011-03-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, what I wore this Wednesday! (TRUTH: I was in my sweats pretty much the whole day, but when my niece stopped by, I changed my clothes so I could fake it for y'all. See! I care about you enough that I got out of my fat pants!!)

I wanted to join in on the What I Wore Wednesday because I wanted to showcase my new sweater! Don't you LOVE it?! My fabulous Aunt Barb made it for me! It's big, roomy, flowy, but I love how it's now sloppy.

Target t-shirt

Gap jeans

Target jewelry

FABULOUS sweater by Aunt Barb! Thank you Aunt Barb!!

Inspiration

2011-03-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

It's starting to feel a little springy around these parts and I'm ready for some change! Do you ever get that way? New season, new stuff, right? Like this. I want my body to look like this. No problem, right?
And a cute new wardrobe to match the season. Oh Anthropologie, you taunt me so.Now realistically, this is something I CAN change! I'm looking at redoing my armoire. We received this armoire as a wedding gift from my Grandmother, so needless to say, it's very near and dear to my heart. But, it's time for an update!
The armoire is in my craft room now, so I want it to be cute and girly and full of crafty things. NOT full of dust like it is now. I know, you're jealous of the dust collection I've got going. Try not to hate. I've been looking around for some inspiration and this is what I've come up with...
How fun is this?! I already have a bar, but if I didn't, this is SUCH a great idea!! Somebody do this please! Genius! Now, I'm on The Nester quite a bit and I love what she did to her armoire. I'm loving the color too. She uses a lot of this blue in her home and I thing it's calming, beautiful and definatley POPS!! That's exactly what I want my craft room to do, POP with color!! I'm feeling a color like this is going to happen with my armoire. Sigh.
Oh yeah!

I'm ready to roll on this project! No turning back now!!

Catch Up

2011-03-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

So much has been going on around here, I haven't been able to keep up. I wanted to post this on Friday, for I'm Lovin' It Friday, but things got away from me. So, this being my blog and everything, I've decided to go ahead and post it on Monday. So here are a few things I'm lovin' on this Monday... NO MORE SNOW!! I don't want to jinx us, but I'm thinking we've seen the last of the snow. See that little patch on the grass? That's all we have left. THANK GOD! I'm certainly lovin' that!
It's still a little chilly. There's ice still in the pond, but that's OK, as long as Spring is on it's way! We got over 50 degrees this weekend, which was SO welcomed!

I'm still SO in love with my new guest bathroom. Amazing what a little motivation, money and mind set can get you! Now that I see how giddy a little change can get me, I'm ready for more!

I've been busy helping my sister with a GINORMOUS project. I'm SO lovin' that she's doing this!! The BIG reveal will be coming soon! I'll keep you posted!

I'm lovin' that my niece is home from Florida! She had to come home for little surgery (poor girl couldn't breathe!!) and it's always nice to have a little Sissy time! Coop wanted to be just like her, with the bandage and all! (I know you're going to kill me for posting this picture Sis. Sorry! But it's super cute! Everyone will understand that you're bruised and swollen because of surgery!)

I'm lovin' that my fabulously talented cousin sent me this gorgeous, hand made apron!! YES! She made it! Embroidery and all!! And there's a matching hand towel. I know, you're jealous!

My new family rules picture! SO lovin this!! I hung it right at the bottom of the stairs, so the boys can always see it! This is a FREE download from Krystal at Sassy Sanctuary. NOT kidding! FREE DOWNLOAD! She has several different color combinations to choose from. Of course, mine isn't as cute or dolled up as Krystals, but it gets the point across, doncha think?! Go HERE to get your own family rules download!!

With the Spring weather, I'm getting inspired to make some more changes! What changes are you planning on making?

You Capture - Body Parts

2011-03-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks challenge over at I Should Be Folding Laundry is body parts. I shot the only cute body parts left in this house...
Still stubby and cute, but they're starting to smell.

Starting to be used for selective hearing only.

Oh my gosh. I'm dying. Nothing cuter than a freckled nose!
Wait...

Emotion, black and white

What I Wore Wednesday #3

2011-03-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

All I have to say is thank GOD my oldest child had a birthday that fell on a Wednesday, so I didn't have to participate in What I Wore Wednesday last week! This has grown into the bane of my existence (it has slightly taken over the lead from decorating my mantle, which has been the thorn in my side for several years now). However, last Wednesday I looked EXCEPTIONALLY fabulous. Too bad you missed it.

So, this Wednesday, as I got dressed for my exciting and glamorous trip to Costco, I had to think, "What can I wear that makes me look like I give a crap?"

This is what I came up with...

I have come to realize that taking pictures of yourself, in front of a mirror, is one of the hardest things to do. However, it is WAY better than asking a five year old to take your picture. I have now moved my photo sessions out of my bathroom and into my entryway. Mind you, I'm still standing on a toddler potty step stool, but who's to know? Here I am wearing...

t-shirt from Target (I know, you're surprised)

lacy camisole from who knows where

Lucky jeans that I've had so long that a belt loop is broken, they're too short (reason why they're rolled up) and the top button has popped off, hence the reason for the belt, that makes me look like I have a severe outtie belly button popping out

the military jacket, which is probably outdated by now, but it was a killer deal for only $14.99!

my super awesome rain boots from the Fred Meyer (Kroger if you don't live in the PacNW)

An OK outfit, if I say so myself, but when you have to bundle up because it's 40 below and still snowing in these parts, this is what you end up looking like when you leave the house...

So really, who cares what you're wearing on Wednesday because you can't tell anyway!

Bathroom Makeover

2011-03-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

I've got a project list about a mile long of all the things I want to do around my house. One thing NOT on my list, my guest bathroom. First thing I redecorated, the guest bathroom. Makes sense, right? I shouldn't even say redecorated. I should just say I finally got around to decorating it. It only took me eight years. I threw up a shower curtain and hung some towels when we moved in and never looked back. Well, I finally did something and here it is...
Not that big of a deal, but I think it turned out great!

Ry's Birthday Bonanza

2011-03-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we wrangled up a handful of Riley's friends and headed over to the local movie theater to see Rango. I still don't know how I felt about this movie. It was good, but odd, but strangely fascinating all rolled into one. This movie had a good story line, but it's pretty clear the makers of Rango were smoking funny things. Clearly, I need to quit my day job and become a screenwriter.
The Motley Crew, and not in a rock star kind of way.
Snacks delivered to everyone and a row reserved for the birthday party! Such service!

After the party, we had cupcakes and opened gifts in the party room. Yep! No clean up for Mom!

Mom was tuckered out after making these super fabulous Rango cupcakes. I got the idea from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. However, mine didn't turn out as cute as hers. Yeah, I see E.T. too, but thankfully the kids don't know who E.T. is!

I survived with 9 boys, all by myself. The boys were all really well behaved and well mannered.

And then the big guns came out!

Weekend Recap

2011-03-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Our weekend was crazy busy and crazy fun. Here's just a few glimpses of what it looked like...

Some of these. A little bit of this.And maybe one or two of these.
And a whole lotta this!!

Blog Button

2011-03-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

I've been blogging for almost 3 years now. Can you believe that? 3 years? Anyhoo, awhile back, I had this lovely little bloggy button made so all my bloggy buddies could add a little bit of me to their blogs. Unfortunately, I was receiving comments that some people were having problems adding my button to their blog rolls. Well Iam happy to tell you, I have finally figured out the problem!! Everything is all fixed, so please, if you're one of my followers, fans, stalkers, jealous because you want to be just like me when you grow up readers that has a blog, add my button to your blog roll!! Just go down there on the left, grab the code and slap it on your blog! Oh, come on! You know ya wanna!! Thanks so much!

I'm Lovin It Friday - Caramel Corn

2011-03-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

Preparing for Riley's birthday has put me SO far behind! I'm frantically trying to catch up on cleaning, organization and blogging! I'm writing this on Sunday, but posting it back to Friday. I missed linking up to Tidy Mom's I'm Lovin' It Friday, but I'm still going to play along! This past week, I tried to make homemade caramel corn! I thought it went pretty well, this is what I did..

I gathered up all the ingredients. Nothing fancy. I had everything, so it was pretty easy.

Air popped some corn. No salt, no butter, just plain.

Melted some butter.

Added brown sugar, corn syrup and salt, let it boil up.

Removed it from the heat and added some baking soda and vanilla and stirred it up really well.

Poured it over the popcorn and stirred to coat.

Popped it into the oven and baked it for about 30 minutes, stirring it every 10 minutes or so.

Took it out of the oven, broke up any clumps and let it cool. Super delicious and pretty easy! That's what I'm lovin' this Friday! Why not try and make yourself a batch?

Caramel Popcorn

plain popcorn (you could use 1 cup unpopped popcorn and 2 Tbsp oil and pop it in a pan, on the stove, but as I said, I used an air popper)

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, butter, syrup and salt in a large saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring until mix starts to boil.

Continue cooking for 5 minutes without stirring.

Remove from heat.

Stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Pour over popped popcorn.

Stir until evenly coated.

Bake @300 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Let cool.

You Capture - Technology

2011-03-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

This weeks You Capture challenge, over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, is technology. Not a very warm, fuzzy subject, but here's what I came up with nonetheless...
My new super awesome printer/scanner situation. I haven't even opened this baby up to see what it can really do! The good!

Cords. Seems like with technology, you have a lot of cords. The bad.

And more cords. I can't wait to get a Mac. The ugly.

Body Parts. Oh my!

Happy 11th Birthday Riley!

2011-03-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

Today, my first born turns eleven. I can't believe that 11 years ago, we were blessed with a VERY healthy 8lb 12oz baby boy. From day one he was the easiest, sweetest boy.

Fast forward to today, where we now have an easy, sweet, smart, handsome, social, talented and honest man-boy.

He's funny, always smells good, semi-neat, picky eater, long legged, soon-to-be surly teenager.
*You're turning 11, how does that make you feel? ~ "Old. Good. Great."

*What are you doing for your birthday? ~ "Going to Flaming Joe's for dinner and I'm having a party. We're going to see Rango."

*What are you hoping to get for your birthday? ~ "A new Nerf gun, DeBob for the Wii and I don't want to tell you the other thing."

*What. Just tell me. What? ~ "Halo Reach for the XBox"

*Umm, No.

*What are you looking forward to, now that you're 11? ~ "6th grade because I love to learn. And I'm one year closer to driving."

*Ugh.

Favorites

number ~ 1

food ~ hot wings

drink ~ chocolate milk shake

movie ~ Despicable Me

TV show ~ The Regular Show

song ~ Grenade by Bruno Max

book ~ The Harry Potter series

things to do ~ X-box

friend ~ Maddie

subject ~ math

what do you want to be when you grow up ~ architect

HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY RILEY!!!

Oscar Randomness

2011-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's just a few random things I noticed while watching the action on the red carpet of the Oscars...

Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila are gorgeous. Good thing she's got that going for her because she can't speak well. Just sayin. And what's up with that outfit in the background? Brown sweater, cream skirt and green stockings? Really? Is that outfit even ALLOWED on the red carpet?

Annette Bening and her date, what's his face. I'm kidding. It's just amazing to me that no one really knew who she was until she married Warren and now you never hear about him. They looked lovely. I didn't really like her dress, but she's just so darned cute.

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. Now, I'm not a fan of either one of these people. He looks like a Pug dog to me, (can you see it?) and she looks like she's going to whip one of those ginormous boobies out and smack somebody with it. Good Lord woman, I know you had a baby a month ago and you look amazing, but please, for the love of Pete, get a dress that fits. Take note from MLP a few years back. Now she knew how to rock post baby boobs. Mila Kunis. Now I have to say, this is a beautiful color. It's lovely and flowy and pretty, but what's up with the tattoos on her boobs? What? They're not tattoos? They're lace appliques? OK. I see it, but I seriously didn't like the boob tattoos.

Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm not a fan of Goopy, but I thought she looked pretty in this dress. The stick dress looked good on her stick body with her stick straight hair. However, it looks like an airplane could land in that part. Just sayin.

Celine Deon. Did you say her name with a French accent? Well you should. I think the French Legion will hunt you down if you don't. This dress WOULD HAVE been better if the sleeves were gone, doncha think? And I think not having sleeves would eliminate the 80's shoulder pads.
Amy Adams. Oh, sweet Amy Adams. For some reason this just didn't work for me (do I sound like Randy Jackson on American Idol?). The dress was fine, but I come from the ~~80's~~ old school way of fashion, you need to match. What's up with the green jewelry with a navy dress? Can you say diamonds? A lovely diamond cuff and earrings would have been better. Again, this is coming from the girl that loathes "What I Wore Wednesdays", so what do I know? However, at least I know how to pose on "What I Wore Wednesdays"!
Hilary Swank. This dress was gorgeous. I don't think this is a very good photo, but believe me, it was beautiful. Helena Bonham Carter looked normal. The. End.
Nicole Kidman. I didn't HATE this dress. It was OK. What I HATED were those stupid bangs! Greasy, spikey, hangin in your eye bangs. Plus, the wind was blowing, so I'm surprised she didn't lose an eye.Cate Blanchette. Worst. Dress. Of. The. Night. It doesn't look so bad in this photo, but up close, vom. Lint balls and weird lime green criss crosses in the back. Bad choice. However, I have to give her kudos for the color of the dress, it was really pretty and her hair was super cute!
Bad 80's prom dress Marisa Tomei. Not flattering at all.

Melissa Leo. She could have really brought this home, but failed. She was pretty much the shoe-in to win, so she should have went big. Now she just needs to go home. I like the dress, just not the fabric. The cut out with the foil underneath? Fugly. I guess this is what you should expect from a person that drops the f-bomb during her acceptance speech.

Thank you Sharon Stone. Thank you for showing up to the Oscars where you are completely and totally obsolete. Thank you for hiring a make-up artist that will spackle so much make-up on your 60 year old face, that no one will recognize you. Thank you for offering to be in an osteoporosis commercial for free. Thank you for resurrecting the Bride of Frankenstein.
Calm all that crap down and you would have looked nice.

First, let me just ask, why is Busy Phillips at the Oscars? I love me some Busy, but why? And her dress, whatevs. The reason I'm posting this photo is because the woman in the back cracks me up! Zoom in and look at her face!! Hilar!

And talk about a face. WHY, good GOD WHY was HE there?

Oscar Fashion ~ Best Dressed

2011-02-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

I had the BEST Oscar night! Friends, food, wine and surprises made it for the perfect evening! Did you watch the Oscars? Well of course you did! Just in case you were stuck under a heavy piece of furniture, or slipped in the shower and couldn't get to the TV, I have a full recap for you!! I know, I'm that thoughtful. I've decided to break my posts up concerning the Oscars. This would turn out to be the longest post EVAH if I didn't. So, we'll start with my pics of the Best Dressed of the evening. Here we go... Anne Hathaway looked amazing. This is old Hollywood at it's finest. I'm not a huge fan of Annes, but I thought this dress was stunning. Made the "red" carpet look cheap. Also, the 7 outfits she wore during the ceremony were pretty awesome too.
Mandy Moore. This photo doesn't really do it justice. It's beautiful, elegant and goes all the way up to her neck. I don't love this dress, especially not the bottom, but it did show well on TV.
Hailee Steinfeld is darling. Not only is this dress age appropriate and gorgeous, she helped design it! She's only 14 people! I love that she didn't do jewelry (she's too young to be wearing thousands of dollars in diamonds), she went tea length (so pretty!) and cute hair! This girl knows what she's doing (and so does her Mother!)
Michelle Williams. Stunning. Simple. Elegant. Her hair makes her darling. Her make-up makes her gorgeous. She has seriously failed in the past, but I think this is a perfect look for her.Natalie Portman. Thank GOD there isn't a huge flower or gaudy jewelry like she had at the Globes. This color is gorgeous on her, the dress accentuates her shape perfectly (ie: boobs look good on this girl!) and it's not all over done. Love it.
Reese Witherspoon nailed it. I loved the old Hollywood feel. Didn't Barbie have an outfit like this? With the hair and everything? Not kidding. Didn't she?
Sandra Bullock. At first glance, I loved this. Beautiful red color against her milky white skin. (Good for her for not falling the lure of a spray tan) The dress is simple, elegant, but at closer look, ill fitting. Girl needed some jelly discs to fill up her bra! During interviews on the red carpet, you could actually SEE the tape! Still, even though it didn't fit her on top, the dress, and Sandy, looked amazing. I love that she didn't gaudy the whole thing up with big, chunky jewelry.
Helen Mirren. Sigh. I love me some Helen Mirren. 65 years old and gorgeous! Stunning dress, beautiful color, perfect jewelry. Totally age appropriate and she's ROCKIN it!!

Jennifer Hudson. Stunning. This dress is gorgeous. The color is amazing. The simple jewelry lets the dress take center stage. She's rockin her new body, but she might be needing a lift, if you know what I mean. But she could have averted the obvious with a little tanner on her boobies. Oh, come on! You know you thought it too!
Jennifer Lawrence. The first "major" star on the red carpet and this girl did it right! SO simple! SO gorgeous! The 20 year old KNOWS how to show it without being vulgar or inappropriate. One bangle? Are you kidding me? Brilliant.

And my Best Dressed of the evening went to... Halle Berry. Are. You. Kidding. Me. I Die. So stunning.
(If you want more fashion photos and recap, go check out Handbags & Handguns)

I'm Busy

2011-02-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm spending my entire Sunday glued to the TV to watch the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. This is my Superbowl. I've seen 7 out of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture. I'm bummed I wasn't able to see The Fighter and True Grit, but not sad that I missed 127 Hours. I recently saw Winter's Bone, which if you can remember, I told you (HERE) that I didn't think I would see it. Well, I did and I loved it. It's a disturbing movie, but oh so riveting. I wanted to sit down today and write my predictions, but to be honest, I haven't been able to pull myself away from the TV. I will be back tomorrow with my FULL recap. All the fashion, winners, losers and the broadcast itself (not banking too much on Franco and Hathaway as hosts). Be sure to come back because you KNOW I'll have a lot to say!~!

Happy Oscars!!

Asian White Coffee

2011-02-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

I was recently approached to try a new product. I mean REALLY new. I can probably assume the majority of you haven't tried, or even heard of this product. Unless you're in Asia. If you're in Asia, please let me know if you've tried this. I was given samples of Asian White Coffee. What it is, is instant coffee (GASP! Yes! Instant!!) that already has the cream and sugar. That's right. An instant WHITE coffee (if you don't know about white coffee, it's all the rage! Read about it HERE) that's presweetened with non-dairy creamer and raw cane sugar. Genius, right? Now, you know I'm not a HUGE coffee drinker. The coffee I drink is diluted with 90% flavored creamer, so this was quite a challenge for me. I opened the packet, poured it into my mug and started my hot water. The packet is pretty big, so it makes a fairly large mug of coffee. When it was mixed, I was intimidated by the color. I was worried it was going to be too "coffee" tasting for me. You know, me, the coffee wimp.

It wasn't awful, but it wasn't for me. It has a pretty strong coffee taste (well duh!). It's not bitter (it's a medium roast), yet not overly sweet either. I probably wasn't the best judge for this review, so I sent some to my parents. They're big coffee drinkers. And the fact that it's an instant coffee, conveniently packaged in individualized packets, I thought my Dad would really like it when he travels. I'm waiting to hear what they think.

What I REALLY love about the company, Asian White Coffee, is that they are in the business of "Helping others help themselves". Their mission is...

"To help people, who live in poverty

stricken areas by partnering with

charitable organizations to provide

clean water

medical assistance

education and training"

When you buy from AWC, 50% of the proceeds are used to help others help themselves. How great is that?! Not only does AWC sell coffee, they also have amazing gift "baskets", that include handmade shopping sacks, made out of the coffee sacks!! You know I LOVE that! These "baskets" would make such an incredible gift for businesses, contest giveaways, friends or family!

Since I'm not a coffee aficionado, I thought I would give you a change to try it yourself! I'm going to have a little giveaway!! This is what's up for grabs...

3 individual packs of Asian White Coffee!!

Not just one, but TWO winners!!

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me something you learned about Asian White Coffee. You can visit their website HERE.

You must include your name and make sure I have a way of contacting you, if you're one of the winners!

I will pick two winners, each will receive 3 individual packets of Asian White Coffee 3-in-one (coffee, cream and sugar). Winners will be chosen some time next weekend.

Good luck!!

I'm Lovin It Friday - Crepes

2011-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm once again joining in on I'm Lovin' It Fridays! over at Tidy Moms. This week, I've been hearing a lot about crepes, so I thought I'd whip up a batch! I've made crepes before, but don't make them that often. I'm not sure why, they're so darned good and super easy!! Here's what I did...
Gathered all the ingredients. All of them are staples, so you know you always have them!

Throw all the ingredients in a blender. Yep, it's just that easy. Just make sure you put some liquid in first, so the flour doesn't get stuck on the bottom.

Blend until a smooth liquid. Place the lid on and put in fridge for 1 hour. You could whip up a batch the night before and put it in the fridge for the morning. Yummy breakfast idea!

Brush your pan with oil and get to medium hot.

Pour some batter in the pan and swirl it around, to coat the entire bottom.

Let it start to brown up on the edges and bubble in the middle. This photo, the crepe still has a bit to go.

Now here's the tricky part, trying to turn it. I tried several different utensils, to flip, and found the spatula alone, along with my fingers on the edges, worked the best. This was one of my first attempts. It still tasted good. Another trick, make a thicker crepe. It turns out more like a thin pancake, but it's much easier to turn. Once you master flipping the thicker crepe, try making them thinner.

I flopped the crepe on a plate, folded it over, topped with mixed berries, powered sugar and whipped creme. I was toying with the idea to spread creme cheese or nutella inside, but that would have made it poison at my house.

Let the manners commence!

Basic Crepes

2 eggs

1 cup milk

2/3 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp oil

pinch of salt

You Capture - Things That Start with L

2011-02-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

You Capture this week, over at I Should Be Folding Laundry, is "Things that start with L". Here's what I came up with...
Lips. Tinted red after a popsicle.

Laundry, because I'm changing to a hypoallergenic detergent thinking it will help Cooper, so there's lots of it.

Lazy.

Technology